The fact that winter is coming to an end doesn’t mean it’s time to put away the yarn. Today’s round-up is full of beautiful free spring crochet patterns. You’ll find everything from Easter decor to spring scarves and more. Enjoy!
30 Plus Free Spring Crochet Patterns
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50 Plus Awesome Ribbon Crafts
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If you are obsessed with ribbons like me, you will love today’s round-up. Read on for over 50 ribbon crafts, including holiday projects, DIY home decor, kids crafts and more! If you want your ribbon project included, leave a link to your tutorial in the comments.
How to Mod Podge Crackle a Dress Form
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Hallo there! My name is Amy – from the blogs Mod Podge Rocks, DIY Candy, and Washi Tape Crafts. Yep, I have three blogs. You could say I really love crafts – and also being busy, apparently. I guess that’s just how I roll! This is a tutorial I haven’t share yet, and am thrilled to show you today. Awhile back I made this initial wall art you see above, and at the same time I made the dress form in the photo. Here’s a closer look:
The tutorial for the easy initial wall art is on Mod Podge Rocks, but I never shared any steps for the dress form. That is what I’m doing today! It uses Mod Podge Crackle Medium, which gives projects a fine eggshell crackle in one step. Here’s how I made it.
- Paper mache dress form
- Wood candlestick
- Mod Podge Gloss
- Mod Podge Crackle Medium
- Fabric – you can use scraps
- Acrylic paint – white and two other coordinating colors for the crackle portion – I used light green and dark green
- Craft glue
- Embellishments – I used a key on gold thread
- Scissors
- Paintbrush
- Old cloth
- Flow medium (optional)
Paint your wood candlestick with your lighter acrylic paint color – in my case, light green. Let dry.
Paint your dress form white. This isn’t essential if your fabric is thick . . . but if it’s cotton like mine, the Mod Podge can make it a little transparent and dull down the color. So I always basecoat white because it just takes a few extra minutes.
Paint Mod Podge on your fabric and let it dry. This makes it easy to cut without fraying.
Decoupage your fabric pieces to your dress form. Continue overlapping . . .
until the whole thing is covered! You might have to trim and/or dart some pieces by cutting slits in the middle toward the top. It takes a minute, but you’ll get it. Set your dress form aside and let it dry.
Carefully read the instructions on the package of your Mod Podge Crackle Medium. I know it’s tempting to just re-open the package and begin, but with crackle medium, you need to read to make sure you understand. This is just one step, so it’s not that hard.
Brush the crackle medium onto your candlestick in a medium layer. Don’t keep brushing over and over the same area – just brush it on and try not to overlap. Let it dry.
This step is optional. If your darker paint color is a little thick, adding flow medium to it will help. The reason is because you are going to use a cloth to wipe it off in the next step, so you want the paint to be less viscous (more liquid and not as thick).
Brush the darker color over the lighter color and watch the crackle! Wipe off the excess (not hard, just gently wipe away the extra). Keep in mind it’s a fine eggshell crackle . . . so you can see it, but it’s not going to be huge divots. I personally love the effect!
Once you’re done, glue the dress form to the candlestick and add any embellishments (like my little necklace) to finish. Then display.
Decoupaging dress forms is so fun! Give it a try. For more great ideas, come visit me on Pinterest . . . I also have a Mod Podge Rocks newsletter and DIY Candy newsletter that you should sign up for to get weekly inspiration. Thanks to Johnnie for having me and I’ll see you next time!
Wood Pallet Cross Tutorial
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Today’s project is a great way to use up those wood scraps leftover from previous projects. I will show you how to make this sturdy wood cross using pallet scraps and pocket holes. You will also learn how to easily create the chippy, distressed paint look seen here.
To start, I cut one scrap wood piece (2×4) to 18 inches and two pieces to 5 inches long.
I attached the 5 inch pieces to the 18 inch piece using pocket holes with my Kreg Jig (see How to Use Kreg Jig). The pocket holes are circled in the photo.
*Place a pocket hole on the bottom of the 18 inch piece for attaching the finished cross to a base. You want to do this before attaching the patchwork pieces in the next steps.
I used Folk Art Home Decor Chalk to create the distressed paint look. It is super easy!
I brushed base coat on thin pallet wood pieces and let that dry.
Using the Layering Block, I added more colors.
Lightly dragging the block across the dry painted board adds color in a chippy, random distressed fashion. Layer as many colors as you want, drying between each layer.
Once I had all the boardws painted, I cut them into random sized pieces and placed them on the cross. I made necessary cuts to the patchwork pieces with my mitre saw until everything fit into place.
I glued the pieces into place and used my Ryobi AirStrike Nailer with one inch brads to secure them.
To finish, I centered the cross on a 2×4 rectangle and attached it with a pocket hole on the back of the cross and wood glue.
For more inspiration, visit our 50+ Scrap Wood Projects:
And our 50+ Wood Pallet Projects:
DIY Dollar Store Eraser Valentine Earrings
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I heart creating with dollar store supplies. For one, it is cheap, and it challenges me creatively. When I saw these cute Valentine’s Day erasers over the weekend, I immediately thought they need some resin and ear wires! Follow along to see how I made earrings from dollar store erasers!
At first I imagined making a pendant, but then I realized the erasers came in pairs, just perfect for earrings. This project is super cheap and easy to do. Don’t be intimidated by resin if you’ve never used it.
Especially now that ICE resin has made mixing the two parts so simple.
When working with 2 part resin, it is crucial to mix equal parts A and B. If you are off even just a little, the resin may no cure properly. ICE resin comes in a plunger that extrudes equal parts automatically.
Use a craft stick and mix the 2 parts by stirring for at least 1 minute.
TIP: After mixing, let resin sit for 5 minutes before applying it. This lets the mixture settle and decreases air bubbles.
Apply a little bit of resin at a time, starting in the center using the craft stick. It can take awhile to get use to how much resin to use. Just don’t go overboard. You can always add more to create a dome effect after the first layer has dried, but you are in for a mess if you use to much and it spills over the edge.
Let resin cure for 12 hours.
I picked up these screw eyes at Walmart for $0.97.
Just screw the hardware into the top center of your resin eraser.
Add ear wire and you are set!
Do you love them as much as I do? You can make 6 pairs with the pack of $1 erasers!
Find over 50 ways to decorate for Valentine’s Day:
50+Valentine’s Gifts to Make:
Valentine’s Day Washi Tape Charms
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Today’s project is a washi tape and resin craft that makes the perfect Valentine’s Day gift! Follow along as we die cut washi tape and apply ICE resin for a quick and easy charm that you can customize to fit your needs.
I was inspired on a recent trip to the craft store by these Valentine’s Day prints on washi tape by Hampton Arts.
I covered white card stock with strips of the tape as shown.
I folded the excess tape over the back of the paper. If you want your charms two sided, you could cover the entire back in tape as well, or use printed scrap book paper instead of white card stock.
I cut the tape covered paper with these heart dies by Spellbinder’s Media Mixage.
Here is what they look like after die cutting the shapes.
I sealed the front and back of the hearts with Iced Enamels Medium. If you don’t seal the paper tape, the resin will darken it and look funny. Let dry.
I used ICE Resin on my charms. You could use any jewelry grade resin, or Mod Podge Dimensional Magic.
Following the directions on the resin package, I mixed the two parts in a plastic dixie cup with a clean craft stick.
TIP: Place the paper hearts on top of sticky contact paper to keep them flat while resin dries.
Use the toothpick to drip the resin onto the hearts.
Hole punch the hearts once dry. The resin instructions say 6-12 hours. I let mine sit overnight and used a jewelry hole punch to place holes for jump rings.
Add keychain fobs and other charms. I went for keychains with the larger hearts. I will be using the smaller hearts for earrings!
How to Make T-shirt yarn and 30 Plus Projects to Make
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I have been a busy girl creating yarn from old t-shirts. Did you know you can make a continuous strand of yarn and create a sizable roll of yarn from just shirt? Once you have created your yarn, the potential projects you can create are unlimited.
Found Object to Upcycled Lighting
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I say “found object” because I am 98.9% unsure what it is. I went through a phase where I scooped up anything that I could picture as a light fixture or hanging pendant lamp and that was cheap. This one I was particularly excited about since I got it for $5 and it was just waiting to house a lightbulb. I finally got around to making it happen as the final step in our laundry room renovation. At the thrift shop where I purchased it, I was told it is an old cow milk filter. Don’t worry, I cleaned it well before mounting it on my ceiling!
Here it was to start. I cleaned it with baby wipes and sprayed Mod Podge matte finish on it to seal it.
I removed this brass fixture that I was dying to replace. It dangled there until my husband got home from work since I had no idea what I was doing and didn’t feel like being electrocuted.
This milk filter was perfect to wire and hang because of all the holes. We just removed the socket from the old fixture and thread the wires through the top of the filter.
We used screws with washers to reattach to the ceiling and that was it!
We love it! So unique and such an improvement from the brass. Oh yeah, and it cost $5, let’s not forget!
Visit our 50+ DIY Lighting Ideas for more inspiration!
DIY Mudroom Storage Bench and Coat Rack
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Our laundry room is the high traffic area of the house. We go through it every time we come or go from the house. It had been crying out for a place to hang coats and to drop off “stuff” rather than haul it in and lay it on the kitchen table. One Saturday my husband decided that he was going to throw together some sort of a coat rack / bench that would serve our needs. Once he got me going on the idea it turned into a full blown re-do of the room. I have shown you the Free Laundry Room Printables and DIY Hardware Update, and today I am sharing how to make this fabulous mudroom bench/coat rack. This project was pretty easy once we got started, and cost under $150! We LOVE it. It is super handy, and it prompted us to paint and replace the floor in the room. It is now my favorite room in the house! On to the project.
Shopping List
1. 3/4-inch birch-veneer plywood to build the seat box. Get one 4×8 sheet.
2. exterior-grade beadboard plywood to make the back panel on the wall. One 4×4 sheet will cover the area.
3. 1×16 solid-wood panel to make the seat lid. Get one 6-foot board.
4. 1×12 solid-wood panel to make the fascia board and shelf. Get two 6-foot boards.
5. 2×4 to create a support strip for the hinges that hold the box lid. Get 6 feet.
6. 1×4 to create the applied paneling on the front and sides of the box. Get four 8-foot boards.
7. 1×2 to cap the unfinished top edges of the bench box. Get 10 feet.
8. 3/8×7/8-inch panel molding to add a picture-frame detail to the paneling on the box and to trim above and below the beadboard panel. Get five 8-foot lengths.
9. ½x1-inch parting bead to finish the edges of the beadboard plywood.
10. 3/4-inch quarter-round molding to trim the beadboard panel and the base of the box. Get 16 feet.11. ½x7/8-inch decorative shoe molding to trim out the shelf, seat lid, and fascia. Get three 8-foot lengths.
12. 9-inch shelf brackets
13. 2-inch L-brackets to secure the box to the floor. Get seven.
14. European cabinet hinges to allow the lid to overlay the box and open smoothly. Choose ones that are labeled “for frameless cabinets.” Get three.
15. Toy-box lid supports to keep the lid from slamming shut. Get two to support the weight of the lid.
16. 1 5/8-inch deck screws
17. 3½-inch deck screws
18. 2½-inch deck screws
19. 2-inch trim-head screws
20. 2d finish nails
21. 3d finish nails
22. carpenter’s glue
23. vinyl adhesive caulk
24. 180-grit sandpaper
25. Shims
THE BENCH
The bench I chose was modeled after a picture I saw of a classic entry hall built-in I saw on the This old house blog. It had everything we wanted; a place to sit, a place to store stuff, a shelf and plenty of coat hook space. All of this combined into a really nicely appointed, decorative piece that looks nice fits the room. We made adjustment to the plans to fit our needs where necessary. The dimensions were altered because our particular space required the bench to fit in a corner. Likewise, I changed a few pieces of the trim work to suit our taste. The shopping list I’m going to provide you will cover the better part of your project for the size bench we used. If you decide you want to expand or alter to fit your room then you might need to modify your purchase list accordingly. Here’s the one I used to start.
- Build and trim out the bench seat:
I found the best spot in my laundry room was in one of the corners. So the first thing I did was take up the baseboard around the entire room. Next I just built a simple plywood box that would become the bench. No need to put a bottom in it. The box dimensions for my particular spot turned out to be 451/2 inches wide by 18 1/4 inches deep by 16-3/4 inches tall. Build this box out of ¾ inch “good-one-side” plywood. Try to get the box to sit as level on the floor as possible and fasten through the back into the studs in the wall using 2.5 inch deck screws. Just a couple or three places will be plenty. The Top of the box (which will be the bench seat is going to be made from the same ¾ inch plywood. It will need to overhang the box by about ½ inch on the front and the sides. But it will not go all the way to the back. ( you will see why later) Also, if your situation is like mine, where the bench will butt up against a wall in the corner, the top wont overlap on that side. So the dimension of my Top piece was 46 ½ by 16 inches.
- Install the hinge support
Using a miter-saw, cut a 2×4 to fit the inside of the box along the back wall. Cut a 3½-inch-wide strip of plywood to the same length. Screw the pieces together with 15/8-inch deck screws. Position the 2×4 assembly along the back of the box, 3/4 inch above the back edge. Screw it on, through the box and into the studs, using 3½-inch deck screws. This piece will later be hidden by a plywood strip and molding. This is why the top is not as deep as the whole box. This is where the hinges are going to fasten.
Screw L-brackets inside the box and to the floor, three inside the front edge and two on each side, to hold the box in place.
- Attach the panel molding to the seat.Next, I trimmed out the front and the one visible side of my box with 1 x 4 boards. This gives the box a dimensional, shadow box appearance. Cut the 1 x 4 so that the long pieces fit inside the two shorter upright pieces. This way you don’t see a cut edge. To create a profile on the inner edge of the 1×4 framing, cut panel molding to fit inside the 1×4 rectangles. Miter the ends of the molding. Nail the molding to the box, tight against the 1x4s, with 2d nails.
- Cap and Trim the box
Cut a piece of 1×2 to the width of the box. Glue and nail it to the top edge of the box front with 3d finish nails. Cut two pieces the depth of the box and use them to cap the sides. The side caps should now sit flush with the 2×4 assembly secured to the wall. Trim the base of the box using quarter round molding mitered 45 degrees at the corner joints.
- Trim the seat lid
Using a miter saw, cut strips of ½x7/8-inch decorative shoe molding to fit the front and side edges of the lid. Miter the ends at the corners, but leave the back edges square. Attach the molding to the lid edge with wood glue and 2d finish nails.
TOH Tip: To avoid splitting narrow wood stock with finish nails, dull the points of the nails with the strike of a hammer before tapping them in.
- Install the Lid
Rip a piece of plywood to 2¼ inches wide and the length of the box This 45/3/4 inches in my case. Nail it down at the back edge of the seat box to cap the 2×4 assembly. This is labeled as the “Hinge support” on the above photo. Attach the lid to the 2×4 assembly using three European cabinet hinges, installed according to the “full overlay” instructions. This type of hinge allows the lid to open completely over the 2×4 assembly but conceal that same assembly when it’s closed. The lid should overhang the box by 1 inch on the sides and front. This sounds more complicated than it is…Since your top has been cut short of the box dimension by this amount, you will have this 2/1/4 inch strip across the back that does not open with the lid. (see pic). You have to have this to carry the hinges. Setting the hinges requires a little bit of patience. The proper distance will be determined after a couple of openings and closings. There has to be a slight space to allow the lid board to pivot by the stationary hinge mounting board.
- Mount the bead-board back panel
I ran the beads on my piece vertically. Since my bench was less than 48 inches I could use just one 4×4 sheet and rip it to the right height. In my case I liked keeping the board 4 feet above top of the lid. So actually you could purchase just one 4×4 sheet already cut. Where the bead-board meets the top of the bench seat I put a 1×4 trim piece to finish out the back. As you will see later, when I finish placing the shelf facia board later, I will put a matching piece at this seam. I think it finishes the back board nicely.
- Hide the Bead-board edges
I chose to use a small cove molding to finish out the vertical edges of the bead board. As with all of the trim in this project, take a look at the variety of Trim pieces available and get ones that suit your taste. There are lots and lots of styles available. Some will obviously not work at all and others will be great. There is no hard and fast rule to my knowledge. We often just use what we have left over from other projects.
- Finish the Trim
I chose to use lengths of quarter round trim along the bottom edge of the box where it meets the floor. I mitered the corner where it wraps to the side. Take a look at your finished box at this point and decide if there are any gaps or spots that you feel like you want to cover with trim work or if just caulking alone will fill.
- Install the Fascia for the shelf
Use a piece of 1×12 shelving board cut to the length of the top of the beadboard panel. This board will be called the fascia board for the shelf and will be where the coat hangers will ultimately goMount it to the wall using 2-inch trim-head screws installed through the studs
- Mount the Shelf Brackets
Measure and mark the placement of two shelf brackets on the fascia board.
Using the provided hardware, install the shelf brackets flush with the top edge of the fascia board and on center at your marks.
- Secure the Shelf
Cut a piece of stock 1×12 shelving board the width of the bead-board.
Set the shelf on the brackets and tight against the wall. Secure it to the brackets with 2-inch trim-head screws. Cut a 1×4 trim board and attach it to the top of the bead-board to fascia board seam. Attach with 2d nails. Caulk seams.
- Paint the Bench
Sand the entire bench with 180-grit sandpaper. Fill all the nail holes and gaps between moldings with caulk. Prime the bench, bead-board panel, shelf, and moldings, then paint them with two coats of semi-gloss latex.
- Attach the hardware
Screw coat hooks to the fascia board, spaced evenly between the brackets.
Here you can see the accent wall we painted with stripes. Click the image or text for the FREE Laundry Room Printables!
Easy Cheap Hardware Update
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One of the first things I knew I wanted to change when we moved into our house was the brass hardware: knobs, hinges and light fixtures. I pictured that happening immediately, but the reality of how much time it takes to renovate kicked in, and I am just now getting to the hardware! I wanted to share with you a quick, cheap and easy way to get the finish you want on your hardware without having to buy all new pieces. The stuff is expensive, so buy a can of spray paint instead and invest a little time! This one change makes a huge difference in the look of your decor.
I finally got addressing the hardware as we finished up the laundry room you have heard me going on about around here lately. It was so perfect… new floor, new built-in mudroom bench, striped walls and laundry room printables. Then there were the shiny brass hinges, locks and knobs. I couldn’t take it.
The solution was a $7 can of spray paint and a little time. I just removed the doors and took off the hinges and knobs, cleaned them with soap and water, dried them completely and sprayed them with Rust-Oleum Metallic Paint & Primer in One – Oil Rubbed Bronze. I let them dry overnight just to be safe, and put everything back the way it was, new and improved!
I gave you a sneak peek at the mudroom bench. You will be getting a detailed how to quite soon!
In case you missed the Free Laundry Room Printables, click here or the photo:
